A Living Catastrophe
by xXI.AM.BEASTXx
Summary: When Chloe is told that she had to attend a pledgeing ceremony, she didn't know that she was the one being pledged to! Who's pledging themself, and what are they not telling her? Will Chloe become comfortable enough to stop talking to Brian? R&R please.
1. What Kind of Ceremony?

**Hey everybody, this is my first NLOCK fanfic. I hope you like it. It's not the first of its kind, but I've been writing this for two weeks and that makes it a little bit unique. I'll update as fast as I type the chapters, which could be anywhere between 1-4 chapters a day. There will be around 10 chapters. I hope you enjoy, and:**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

Chapter one: What Kind of Ceremony?

Jasmine and I had been sitting in the coffee shop for probably around 20 minutes, and there hadn't been so much as a word spoken between us. Only the sound of sipped coffee and breathing was heard from either of us. It was so quiet, it was almost awkward.

"So…anything new?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

Jasmine set her coffee down and looked up at me.

"Actually, yes. That's why I asked you to meet me here. So we could talk about it."

"Well, you asked, and I'm here. But we haven't exactly talked yet."

"Am I allowed to say I was trying to build up the suspension?" She joked. "Well, tonight, Valentina is having a little get together with a few members of the Mai. And when I say get little get together, I mean large ceremony that is centered around you; and when I say a few members of the Mai, I mean all of those within San Francisco and neighboring cities."

"What kind of ceremony?" That was basically all I got out of it. I'd never really been to a Mai ceremony, more or less heard of what's done at one.

My question seemed to make her a bit uncomfortable. "I'm not exactly allowed to tell you yet. But I can tell you that there is going to be somebody pledging to somebody else. Somebody important."

"Well, can I at least know what I need to wear?"

"There are going to be some pretty important Mai there, so it's going to be formal."

"How important?" I asked warily.

"Not as important as you, but important enough that you want to make a good impression."

"OK, then what time does it start?"

"At eight, and it should end around 1. But I assure you, you're going to need your rest tomorrow. Do you think your mom would let you sleep over?"

I was almost giddy when I answered. "No need to worry, she's away on a business trip until Friday. I've got the entire Spring Break to do whatever, as long as she doesn't find out."

"Alright. Then I've decided that you can bring everything you need for the week to our home and stay there until your mom gets back. I do suggest you have my mom call her to make sure she knows where you're at though."

"Will do, are you going to come with me so I can pick up my stuff?"

"Why not?"

Within the next hour I had almost everything packed in a large suitcase I pulled from the attic. "Ok, I have all the clothes I need for the week, plus a little extra in case we decide to do something crazy." I whispered the last part. Jasmine laughed.

"Do you have a dress for tonight?" She questioned.

"And of course me memory fails me again." I sighed. "I'll be right back. I ran upstairs and dug through my closet, but found nothing. I had nothing but party and casual dressed. I was about to give in and ask to barrow one when I got a brilliant idea.

I went to my mom's closet and grabbed several dress bags, opening them and looking inside to see if there were anything appropriate.

"Too sparkly, too short, too long, way too dressy, perfect!" I pulled out a long, strapless cobalt blue dress with a pair of delicate-looking silver heels.

I put them back in the bag carefully before making my way back to the driveway and sticking them in the trunk of Valentina's barrowed car. "What, I'm not allowed to see them?" Jasmine asked from the driver's seat.

"Nope, you'll have to wait like everybody else."

"I know a few certain Mai who wouldn't take that as an answer, my cousin being one of them; now show me." She joked.

"Sorry. No can do. If I can be patient to show you, you can be patient enough to wait." She sighed pulled out of the driveway.

**I'll update tomorrow, after I get some sleep. *Yawn* So…tired… please review, they'll help me to wake up early. Good night everybody! I'll be here all week!**


	2. Harry Potter and Odd Questions

**As promised, here's the next chapter! And I just realized something: When it's the latest chapter of a story, and the story's good, then I want to read more of it, but it hasn't been updated yet. So what do I do? I read everything else that's on the page. Review, and tell me if you do that as well. Hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 2: Harry Potter and Odd Questions

We got to Jasmine's house a full 3 hours before the party. There were at least fifteen tables set all around and what seemed like a Vegas style buffet set up on the kitchen counter. It looked like Valentina had set everything up, so we decided to go to Jasmine's room and Veg. out in front of the TV for a while. After clicking the channel buttons for more than twenty minutes, I decided there was nothing on.

"There's nothing good on!" I finally yelled exasperated before setting the remote on the coffee table and sprawling out.

"We could always watch a movie. Go choose one and I'll make popcorn."

"Butter please!"

I chose Harry Potter and put it in. I wasn't sure which one it was, but I couldn't care less. It was Harry Potter, and all of them were good.

About ten minutes into the credits, I heard the door open. "It's about time, popcorn is a microwaveable thing and-" I stopped short when I saw that it wasn't Jasmine, but Alek.

"Oh, hey; ignore the popcorn comment." He didn't make a snarky comment back; in fact, he came over a slowly as if he was uneasy about something."Everything ok?" I asked.

He nodded silently before sitting down in the seat next to me. He was starting to weird me out.

"Chloe." He finally said. "Can I ask you a few things?"

I was beginning to wonder if he was pulling a prank on me, he looked way too serious; and not in the normal 'serious Alek' way.

"Sure." I replied, a little warily.

I noticed he wouldn't make eye-contact with me as he asked his questions.

"What does being the Uniter mean to you?"

"Well, to me, being the Uniter is a good thing and a bad thing. Bad because, no matter how much I want to be normal and live like I did before, I can't. I know I'm going to lose my lives, and each is going to be increasingly painful. But, I'm glad that I'm the Uniter because who else gets the chance to reunite two races that have hated each other for hundreds of years, or gets more than one life to live? To me, being the Uniter means I have responsibilities that nobody else has and I can only hope that I choose the right things."

It was a mouthful, but it was something that needed to be said. Alek nodded and turned back to me.

"Do you trust your protectors?" Was it me, or did it sound like he was really asking did I trust _him_?

I thought about this. Did I completely trust Alek and Jasmine? She's a new friend, but she was never rude or cocky. Jasmine is a great friend and I trusted her with my lives, but I didn't trust her enough to tell me everything that was going on. Alek, he was another story. We hadn't really talked until recently. There was that incident in the hallway two years ago, but it was nothing important. It may have taken us a few weeks, but I would call us friends now. But the main question was: Did I trust him?

Yes, yes I did. He may be a cocky jocko butt-head, but at least he always told me the truth, he was always watching out for me. He stood in the pouring rain just because I asked him to watch my mom for heaven's sake! Did I trust Alek? Completely.

"Chloe?" He asked, breaking me out of my mental rambles. "Do you?"

"I do."

"Why?" He seemed shocked as he asked me.

"Is it that hard to believe I trust my protectors?"

He shook his head and gave me a small smirk. "No, I mean, why do you trust us?"

"Oh." I answered as truthfully as I could hopefully without making his head any bigger. "I trust Jasmine because not only is she Valentina's daughter who always follows rules, but she's funny and nice. She's always there for me even when Amy and Paul are as well. She's a girl who I can relate with, and she understands me when I ask that we pig out on ice-cream instead of go out for training."

"She let you-"I cut him off before he learned any more about that day.

"I trust _you_ because you're a constant. You're always looking out for me, even when I can't see you. You try to lead me to the right path. You always tell the truth, no matter how blunt you make it. You can be a cocky butt-head, but I know that's just who you are. But I trust you because you've always been there when I needed you. It could be a friend issue, or assassin attacking; in fact, I'm actually beginning to think you got some sort of promotion leaving you with more watch time, because it always seems to be you that's to the rescue. "

I saw his eyes soften just a little bit before getting up and walking out, but just before he walked out, he turned around and smiled. Not smirked, but actually smiled. Something that I'd never seen before.

Only seconds after he left the room, carrying a big bowl of popcorn. "Sorry I took so long, I couldn't find the microwaveable bags, so I had to make it the old fashioned way."

I just nodded and tried to distract myself with the movie.

**READ THE TOP**

**Hope you enjoyed, I'm typing the next chapter right now. Should be up in a little while!**


	3. Boy Talk

**Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews! I didn't think it would become so popular so quick! So, another question: (I'm thinking about a question and response every chapter ) do you prefer the slow-going relationships where the sweet stuff builds up to the romance, or a quick pace where the romance happens quickly? ONLY 30 MINUTES BEFORE DOGS OF WAR! Who else is excited?**

**Review please**

Chapter 3: Boy Talk

Halfway through the movie, Jasmine and I started to get ready. I still refused to let her see my dress, so she got ready first. After what seemed like forever, she came out of her bathroom in a gorgeous satin mahogany brown knee-length dress.

"Wow, and I thought my dress was cute." I said.

She laughed. "Go put it on, and we'll see." She replied. "Maybe we can go shopping for different dresses. You are going to be expected to be at a lot of ceremonies like this."

"Sounds like fun!" I replied before dragging everything inside her bathroom.

A few minutes later, I came out of the bathroom. The dress fit perfectly, good thing my mom and I were the same size. Jasmine smiled approvingly when she saw me.

"And you said my dress was pretty. Mine may be pretty, but yours is perfect."

"Thank you." I looked in the mirror above her dresser. "So, should I wear my hair up, or down?"

She observed my hair for a few moments. "I have an idea, back into the bathroom you go." She shoved me in while grabbing a small makeup bag on her bed.

Without much said, she put my hair up in a loose braid with some silver bobby pins. "I love it!" I said excitedly. I had no clue she knew how to do hair.

"Thank you. Now let's see what you can do with mine."

We still have half an hour left when we were done getting ready. That's when my phone started to ring.

"It's Brian." I answered it, surprisingly not as excited as I could be.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey Chlo… so I'm free tomorrow morning and wanted to know if you wanted to get coffee?"

I sighed, "I can't. I'm at a family reunion." I said remembering Jasmine's warning about tomorrow.

"Well, what about the day after?"

"We'll have to see, I'll call you when I'm sure, kay?"

"Ya, sure. See ya."

With that we hung up and I put my phone away.

"Can I tell you a secret?" I asked Jasmine, hoping this next part could be just between her and me.

"Of course."

"I don't think I like Brian as much as I thought I did. I think I might like somebody else."

She got all excited. "Who?"

"That's the thing, I actually don't know who it is or why I like them."

"Are they Mai?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"I hope they're Mai."

"If they are Mai, what makes you so sure that they would like me back?"

She smiled. "Trust me, I know of at least a handful of Mai guys that would fall head-over-heels for you. Plus, I think I know who you like, and I'm positive he likes you back." She whispered almost secretively.

"Who?"

She shrugged. "Can't tell you. You're going to have to find out on your own."

"For once, you people don't want to tell me things." Usually it was the other way around, they usually don't stop telling me things that I didn't know.

She laughed. "Come on, let's go meet new people."

**Not the best Chapter, but it's the fastest I could type while getting ready for tonight's show. Please Review.**


	4. Pledging to Me?

**Holy. Freakin. Crap. That was the best episode ever! I hope all you Chalek fans out there saw it! Tell me if you think that Valentina and Jasmine will be happy with his decision or not! Review Please!**

Chapter 4: Pledging to Me?

There were a lot of Mai coming in at a pretty much steady pace. It took quite some time to meet and greet all of them. There were so many, I could have sworn that the floor was starting to bend.

Once we were all present and accounted for, Valentina called for dinner to start. Of course, they set me at the head of the biggest table with Jasmine to my left and Valentina to my right. Out came several human caterers with what looked like a Vegas-style buffet. I barely ate, something was bugging me, but I wasn't sure what. I knew something was about to happen, something big, I got the feeling it was good and bad. I was so confused. And where the heck was Alek?

As I pushed food around my plate, Jasmine took my arm and pulled me into the guest room. "The ceremony is going to start in a few minutes and I was asked to give you a quick de-briefing."

"Wait? Why?"

"Because you're the one being pledged to."

"WHAT?"

"Relax. Well, don't relax because this is going to be quite a gruesome ceremony. It won't make any sense, but the one pledging to you needs this to happen in order for the pledge to work."

"Gruesome how?"

"Let's just say that you are both going to be tired and sore tomorrow."

"Great."

"Now, in the room next to you is the Mai that is pledging. There are many kinds of pledges and this one is as ugly and confusing as they get. You're going to see a lot of red, but no matter how much you see, you have to do everything you are told. You can't stop, if you do that he will die."

"You're saying it's a he." I caught.

She rolled her eyes. "Listen to the big picture. If you start, then the ceremony needs to be completed or there is no way of saving them."

"Who is it? Somebody I know?" I asked.

"You'll find out who it is when you get out there. Just remember what I told you." She lead me back out to the main room.

I was surprised to see that all the tables had been folded up and the furniture pushed to the sides of the room. All the Mai were in a large circle, as if they were creating an audience, but instead of a steady murmur of voices, it was completely silent. Jasmine lead me to the middle of the empty space and told me to stay there while she joined the ring.

Valentina stepped forward next, and looked me straight in the eyes. "You know what to do, am I correct?" She asked. I nodded nervously, hoping that whatever was about to happen wouldn't be too bad.

Valentina disappeared into the room that the one Mai would come out of. I used my hearing to pick up on the conversation they were having. Wrong of me, I know, but can you blame me?

"This is your last chance to drop out. If you don't want to do this, you need to drop out now."

I heard the other Mai take a deep, shaky breath, and swallow thickly. "No." Was his reply. It was too quiet for me to make out the voice, but I knew that he said no.

"Very well then. You know what to do, stay strong, and I'll talk to you tomorrow when you wake up, depending on if you're strong enough to get out of bed."

Valentina then walked out of the room and to an empty chair right behind me where she took a seat. "Let the ceremony begin!"

The door opened slowly, and out walked a hooded figure in a red cloak. I sure wished that that was what Jasmine meant by seeing a lot of red. Boy, was I wrong.

The figure strode up to me and got to his knees at my feet. Slowly he moves his hands to his hood and took it off carefully.

Focusing fiercely on my feet was none other than Alek Petrov.

**Let's face it, you all knew who it was pledging. But what will the ceremony be? Trust me, when I wrote this story, I was tired and didn't know what I was writing. The ceremony is graphic and bloody and honestly I'm just too lazy to change next chapter. To all of you who think that Alek's face should not be harmed, fair-warning for chapter 5. Review please!**


	5. Seeing Red

**Thanks for all the reviews! I know some of you are kind of anxious to find out what happens to Alek, but I assure you, he will be fine. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I know it's a little different than what you expected a Mai ceremony to be, but I can at least say it's original. I tried putting a little bit of humor into it so there wouldn't be too much suspense. Please review!**

Chapter 5: Seeing Red

A million things were running through my mind. Why was Alek pledging himself to me? Which pledge was it? What kind of gruesome thing was going to happen? Why was I going to see a lot of red? Why won't my brain shut up?

As all these questions were running through my head at the same time Alek looked up into my eyes. I could tell he was nervous.

"Chloe King, Uniter of Mai and humans, you are very important to many of us. You are also important to me. I have learned to trust you as you do me and hope that our trust for each other never fails."

He bowed his head again and put his claws over his heart. "I pledge myself to you, but first must endure the pain of your fury because nothing could be as painful as disappointing you. Do you accept my pledge?" He stood up to his full height, which was a foot taller than me, and removed his cloak showing that he was wearing nothing but pants underneath.

How could I not accept with the entire California Mai population watching me. But that wasn't the only reason, I wanted this, and I wasn't sure why.

I nodded uneasily at first, but built it up to a sure nod. "Yes. I accept your pledge."

"The ceremony has begun." Valentina said, being the spokesperson for today.

"Do you remember what Jasmine told you?" Alek asked.

"Of course." I replied. How could I not? I had to do everything he said and not stop or he would die.

"Good." He stiffened up, as if preparing for some sort of impact. "Now attack me."

He was kidding right? He wanted me to attack him? What if he decided to attack me back?

He must have seen my expression because he nodded again and motioned for me to attack him.

Hesitantly, I punched him in the gut. A few members in the audience chuckled while Alek doubled over breathing out. How they could laugh at this, I had no clue. I found out soon enough.

"Don't punch me! Use your claws!" He said getting his breath back.

"Sorry."

I scratched the tiniest of scratches across his chest and he didn't even flinch. He looked pointedly into my face. "That's it? That's how much fury the Uniter has to show?" I scratched him again, a little bit deeper. "Chloe, the point of this is to feel what your enemies feel." Then he whispered, "Pretend I'm that scar-face. Close your eyes and attack. I promise you that everything will be ok."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I tried picturing that assassin, how much fear and pain he caused. What it felt like to die that first time. Soon enough, I had an image of the man in my head and I attacked. He wasn't fighting back and deep down, I was so guilty because I knew I was really attacking Alek. But this is what he told me to do, and I was doing it.

I heard a hiss a few times I swiped, and I aimed low so I wouldn't scratch his face; we all knew how much he cared about his looks; but even then, I still felt his nose in one of the swipes.

Finally I couldn't take any more and stopped. When I opened my eyes, I almost cried out in shock. Alek was on his knees again, this time from pain and weakness. He had scratches everywhere, and I saw the long jagged scratch across his face that I had tried so hard to prevent. All in all, he looked like had gotten run over by a lawn mower. Several times.

He heard me gasp and opened his eyes. I could read the pain on his face, but he smiled. I was horrified at what I had done, while he was smiling like the idiot he was. He w_as _the one who told me to do this to him. If that wasn't idiotic, then I didn't know what was.

"Spit on me." He said.

"WHAT KIND OF CEREMONY IS THIS!" I yelled. This was something right out of a horror film.

"It's almost over." He assured, and I reluctantly spit on him. He fell over and passed out after having what seemed like a mini-seizure.

I stared off as several Mai carried him to his room. I knew my body had officially shut down, but I wanted to ask a few questions before my brain did as well. Jasmine came up and wiped my hands off.

"What the he** was that!" I asked shakily.

"That was a very special pledge that can only be done once between only two people. He'll explain the rest tomorrow when he wakes up."

"He'll actually wake up tomorrow? After that?"

"He'll be perfectly fine by morning, you'll see."That's when I felt a really sharp pain in my chest and I fell over with a yelp. Jasmine helped me to an empty couch and laid me down. "And that was the pledge finally taking affect."

"I don't understand any of this."

"Alek will explain everything, but right now you need some sleep."

I ignored her and got up anyways, making my way to Alek's room. The Mai that were cleaning him up were almost finished when got in there. Valentina was sitting in a recliner next to his bed watching the other work.

"Valentina?" They all stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Two of them actually bowed.

"Chloe, you should be getting some sleep." Valentina said.

"Not until I help out in here. I want to make sure he's ok. Would it be alright if I talked to him, alone?"

She looked at me strangely. "He's completely knocked out Chloe."

I shrugged. "I don't know why, but I just know he'll be able to understand what I'm saying. Maybe it has something to do with the pledging."

"Very well then."

They all left while I took the seat Valentina had been sitting in. I looked at Alek's limp form. He had been through so much physical pain today, while I had to deal with the mental part. I decided to talk, I hadn't lied when I told Valentina that I knew Alek would understand what I was saying.

"Alek, you're an idiot." I started. "A big-headed, cocky, smart-mouthed idiot." I sighed. "But you are also the bravest, sweetest, most trustworthy protector and friend I could ask for."

I took a closer look at him, I noticed that the scratch on his face looked like it was already half-healed and began to wonder what it would look like tomorrow morning. I hoped they didn't leave scars.

"Why you did what you did, I have no clue. But I expect you to tell me everything the first moment you can." With that, I leaned back into the recliner and let the guilt and mental strain of today take over me, and I fell asleep while crying.

**I'm so sorry for what I did to Alek, but it was the only semi-cool ceremony idea I could come up with at the time. When I wrote this, it was after the episode where he was making out with Mimi, so you would understand why I was sort of mad at him when I wrote this. I promise you that you will like what's coming up next chapter.**

_Chapter teaser:_

_I was back on my roof, but not completely sure how I got there. While looking around at my surroundings I noticed a lean boy with a mess of honey-gold locks sitting on the edge of he roof. I recognized him immediately._

"_Alek?" I asked. He turned around and showed a completely smooth face. That wasn't right. He should have had those scratches across his face still._

"_Chloe?" He asked while standing. I didn't know what came over me, but the next thing I knew, I was tackling him with a hug._

_**Review please!**_


	6. Just a Dream?

**I'm so glad you guys didn't hate last chapter! But I promise you're going to like this one more. Please review!**

Chapter 6: Just a Dream?

_My dream started out with me standing on my roof, it was a normal beginning for my dreams, but I was wearing the dress I had been while awake. From what I could tell, I was alone. I decided to go into my room where everything was how I had left it, except for my laptop which was open and blinking, letting me know I had one new email._

_I went over and clicked the open button. It was from my father; the first email I got from him. Who did he not want me to trust? Who should I trust? Mom? The Mai? The order? Then my cell phone began ringing. I took it out of the hidden pocked it my dress and looked at the screen. I was a picture of Brian. Then everything went black again._

_I was back on my roof, but not completely sure how I got there. This time I was wearing normal every day clothing. While looking around at my surroundings I noticed a lean boy with a mess of honey-gold locks sitting on the edge of the roof. I recognized him immediately._

"_Alek?" I asked. He turned around and showed a completely smooth face. That wasn't right. He should have had those scratches across his face still._

"_Chloe?" He asked while standing. I didn't know what came over me, but the next thing I knew, I was tackling him with a hug._

"_Whoa! What's with the sudden affection?" He teased while hugging me back._

"_You're alright!"_

"_Of course I am." He replied pushing me away gently so he could look at my face. "Here at least."_

_I knew this was just a dream, but I wanted to get the guilt off my chest. _

"_You look much worse in the real world and I'm so sorry for that!" I said. "But honestly you're the one who asked for it, and no matter how much I didn't want to do it, you kept forcing me to and I wanted so badly to stop, but Jasmine told me if I did you would die and-"_

_He put his hand over my mouth. "Shut up and breathe!" I nodded and he pulled his hand away. "Ok, now what about me looking horrible in real life?"_

"_I compared it to being run over by a lawn mower several times." _

_He looked really confused. "How would you know what I looked like in real life? You're only part of my dream." _

"_No, this is my dream. You're the dream person."_

_That's when it dawned on both of us. We both said at the same time. "Are we sharing a dream?"_

"_I think we are." He said. _

"_This is so cool!" _

"_But how will we be sure when we wake up?" _

_I already had a solution. "We need a word for when we wake up."_

"_I claim Basketball." He said immediately. _

_I rolled my eyes. "Of course you do." _

"_Well, what do you choose?" He asked._

_I thought about it for a few seconds. "I choose cat-astrophe." _

"_Ha ha, very original." He said sarcastically. _

"_Well, at least I can make a joke." _

"_I can too. You're a living cat-astrophe." _

_My mouth fell open. "Thanks a lot!" I said folding my arms and sitting on the side of the building where he was just at. He sighed and sat next to me._

"_Well, it's true. Whenever I leave you alone, no matter for how long, you manage to get into trouble. While I always have to come save you."_

"_That may be true. But you don't always have to come save me. I can handle myself just fine."_

"_I can't help it. I have to keep you safe, even more so than before." I turned to him in surprise._

"_Why?" _

_He avoided my eyes. "Because of the pledge." _

"_Jasmine told me that you would tell me what kind of pledge it was the next chance you got. Well, you got it now and I want answers." _

"_I told Jasmine to tell you!" He said angrily. "I'm going to have a serious chat with my cousin when I wake up." _

"_I still want answers." I said._

_He smirked. "You always want something, don't you?" I just raised an eyebrow. "Fine." He moved to lay down on his back with his feet still dangling over the edge. "The pledge we did was the most dangerous pledges of all. Not only because the person pledging loses a lot of blood, but if you get scratched too deep by another Mai, it can have the same affect of a kiss to a human." I felt a pang in my chest from the memory of my first kiss. _

"_The only thing that can save you from it is if the Mai that scratches you spits on you. It not only counteracts the effect of the scratch, but leaves a connection between the two which lasts forever. It's probably the reason why we're sharing a dream right now, even though I've never heard of it happening. It must have something to do with you being the Uniter."_

"_Or we're not really sharing a dream, and you really are dream Alek."_

"_Or the other way around." He added. "The pledge can only be performed once between two Mai whether they are the one Pledging, or the one being pledged to."_

"_So you can never pledge to anybody else, and I can never have anybody else pledge to me?"He shook his head. "But what if one of us dies?" I asked._

"_The connection lasts forever, supposedly even past death." He replied. "But if anyone's going to die, it's going to be me."_

"_Why you?"_

"_Because you're the Uniter, destined to do great things. I'm your protector, now your connected protector. That basically makes me you personal body-guard and second in command for any other of your protectors to answer to."_

"_So, you're a personal body-guard to me because you just pledged to me?"_

"_I believe the correct term is your Alpha-warrior."_

_I laughed a bit. "I bet you like that title. But seriously, you're not giving up your life for one of mine. I've got eight to give, while you've only got the one. If anybody is giving one up for the other it's going to be me. No more argument." I said before he could start up again, plus I had another question._

"_So, why you?" I asked, he looked a little hurt at the question. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant why did you choose to pledge to me? I mean you could have assigned somebody else to do it for you, you wouldn't have had to deal with all that pain or being stuck with me forever. You could have chosen anybody else that you saw fit to watch and protect me. Why did _you_ do it?"_

_He avoided my eyes once again. "I don't trust anybody else to keep you safe." _

_My heart and stomach jumped. He only trusted himself with my safety? "Not even Jasmine or Valentina?" He shook his head slowly. _

"_Why do you think I hardly ever left? I didn't trust anybody else with you. You're too important to lose."_

_I looked at him. I might have missed what he was really talking about here. "Wait, you only did this because I'm the Uniter, didn't you?" I stood and started pacing. "Of course, it's always the same. Every Mai wants to keep the Uniter safe, so that the Mai can eventually be in the clear. Either they want to kill her, or they want to control her. Nobody cares for me as a person, just me the Uniter. I can't believe I didn't see this before-" I continued on ranting, completely ignoring Alek's attempts at trying to stop me. He finally got me by the shoulders and shook me till I quit talking._

"_Chloe, I didn't pledge myself to you just because you're the Uniter. If that was the only reason, then I would be fine with Jasmine watching you and go off on my breaks every chance I got. I pledged myself to you because you're you."_

_He removed his hands and ran them through his hair. "Chloe, you're smart, funny, pretty, always getting into trouble and always try to be there for everybody even if it means putting yourself in danger. That's also the reason I only trust myself with your safety. Because I know you so well I can expect what you're going to do next. I care about _you, _not just the Uniter."_

_I lost it. I completely lost it once he said that. I threw my arms around him and squeezed him, and for a dream, the physical contact seemed so real. "You're the best protector and friend I could ask for." I whispered._

"_Good, then I'm doing my job."_

"_So, you think I'm pretty huh?" I asked. He looked uncomfortable. I was about to question him more when everything started getting blurry._

"_Chloe? You're getting blurry."_

"_I think I'm waking up. I'll see you on the other side." I said._

"_Wait, before you go." He leaned in and pecked my cheek. "Yes, I think you're pretty." _

_That was the last thing that happened before I was overwhelmed by darkness. _

**I hope you all liked it! My longest chapter yet! I put a lot of the girly thoughts of my mind into this chapter. This is the only chapter for today only because I'm adding more chapters to the paper version and I also really need to go for a run. Please review, I love getting them!**


	7. Basketball and Catasrophe's

**Sorry I haven't updated, my family came out today and I wasn't given the chance to type. So I'm doing it now while I still have the chance. (I found out my cousin's a big Nine Lives fan!) I hope you enjoy! Review Please!**

Chapter 7: Basketball and Catastrophe's

As I groggily opened my eyes, I focused on Alek and blushed remembering what he had told me before I woke up. He thought I was pretty? I noticed that even though he was still deeply asleep, and he looked a lot better than last night. I was surprised when I saw his face, there was nothing but a little pink mark from his cheekbone to his nose. I guess Jasmine was right when she said he would be fine by today.

After making sure that nothing major had changed with him, I took inventory of myself. I was still wearing the dress from last night and my hair was everywhere. I was definitely going to have to change before Alek woke up. Making sure that he was still fast asleep, I went to the living room to grab my over-night bag. It was still early, and I could hear Valentina and Jasmine still snoring, so I cleaned up as best I could.

As soon as I washed my face, did my daily morning rituals and changed into a pair of pants and a tank-top, I went back to Alek's room. He was still asleep, but his heart-beat was picking up, signaling that he was going to wake soon. I sat back to wait, and also come up with a plan. If we really didn't share a dream last night, then I would have to ask him all those questions all over again, and I would probably get different answers. But if we really did share a dream, which I have a feeling is true, then I wanted payback for him not telling me what last night was about before it happened.

I was pulled out of my musings when Alek groaned and rolled over to face the opposite side of his bed. I saw his eyes flutter and then him take a deep breath. He stared at the empty space before him for a few seconds before his hearing picked up on another heart-beat in the room, mine.

He was so surprised, he jumped two feet in the air while simultaneously rolling over to face me and ended up falling over the other side of the bed and landing with a thud on the floor. I immediately burst out laughing. He sat up and glared at me before sighing and coming around the bed to sit on the side closest to me.

"I _was_ going to try - to crack a joke about you - not being very observant, but I see now that it's - un-needed." He crossed his arms and waited for me to settle down.

"Are you done yet?"

"Not quite." I replied. I let the entire incident replay through my head, and began cracking up again.

After laughing for another few seconds, I settled down and nodded. "Ok, I'm done." Even though I couldn't completely wipe the smile off my face.

"So, it there anything you need to say?" He asked. I tried to look clueless. He still hadn't said his word and I was going to wait until he said it first.

"I'm glad that you're ok. After last night, I was afraid that you had gone through too much." I said hugging him, truly glad that he was fine. He hugged me back without question before questioning me some more.

"Anything else? Any certain word?" I pretended to look confused. ""Basketball?" He finally asked, confirming that we indeed did share a dream. I was doing a mental happy dance when I shook my head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sorry." He looked crestfallen. "But I'd like to thank you for pledging yourself to me. I couldn't ask for a better Alpha Warrior."

"How did you know what I pledged to you about?"

"Jasmine told me, like you told her to do." Exactly as he had said in the dream.

"Oh."

"So, as my Alpha Warrior, what does your job entitle?"

"The regular stuff; follow you around to make sure you're not in danger, be there when you are; but now I'll be able to know where you're at by simply wanting to know, and we'll share many other things like emotions, decisions and sometimes thoughts."

"That's pretty cool. So, if one of us was to playing a prank on the other then both would know?"

He nodded. "Most likely."

I was enjoying this a little too much. He still had no clue what I was up to. "Ok then. I guess that's an upside."

That's when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket and opened the text.

**Where have you been? I haven't heard from you since yesterday morning. -Amy**

"It's from Amy. I should probably text her back."

"Don't you have any more questions?" Alek asked a bit surprised at my not being as curious as I should be.

"Yeah, but you can fill me in, along with Amy and Paul, when we all go to breakfast. Speaking of which, you should probably go let Jasmine know while I tell Amy where to meet."

We both headed toward the door. "Do we honestly need to tell your friends? They're going to have non-stop questions, many of which I'd rather not answer."

I decided now was the best time to stop torturing him. "Yes, we do. Because when Amy is left in the dark, everybody pays." I smiled. "And that would be a cat-astrophe." I said before ruffling my hand through his hair quickly and making a break for Jasmine's bathroom trying to contain my laughter.

The last thing I heard before closing the door was him yelling "HEY!"

**Hope you liked it! I might not update a much this weeks because of family, but I promise you as soon as they're gone, I'm back to my normal updating schedule. Please Review!**


	8. AN1

**PLEASE READ:**

**Hey, everybody. So I'm sorry for the wait my laptop completely stopped working for an entire week and our home computer wouln't let me onto fanfiction. But I got my laptop fixed and I am now able to continue with the story. I'll have the next chapter up soon, maybe not today because I'm still putting all my documents onto this computer, but soon. Thanks for reading this story!**


	9. Eternal Servitude

**Hey! Here's the long-awaited chapter. I hope you like it. I've come to the end of the actual pre-written part of the story, so the chapters might be coming a little slower than normal cause I'm making this stuff up as I go along. Please Review!**

I quietly shut Jasmine's door as fast as I could and texted Amy and Paul to meet me at a café not too far away from the penthouse. I washed up a little bit more before Amy texted me back.

_It's about time, I was beginning to think that you forgot about me.-Amy_

I rolled my eyes. Always the drama queen.

_So, can you come? And bring Paul, I have something to tell you two.-Chloe_

I tuned my hearing into outside Jamsine's bathroom. Jasmine was still snoring lightly and Alek was sitting on the couch talking to Valentina. I shouldn't have been able to know exactly where he was at, but I assumed I knew because of our new connection. I decided to listen in a little closer.

"So, you're doing better this morning?"

"Much better. I'm hardly sore."

"I'm surprised that you healed this fast. It must have something to do with the connection."

"Well, most of me's healed." Alek corrected, my ears perked up. He was still hurt?

"You're not completely healed?" Valentina asked.

"I have a claw mark right in the middle of my chest. I'm not completely sure, but I don't think that's normal."

Valentina chuckled. "Not normal, but natural."

"How so?"

"Since you pledged yourself, there has to be a way for other Mai to know that you are pledged, and who you are pledged to. The mark will heal, but it will leave a permanent scar."

"How did I not know about this?" He asked, I was wondering the same thing.

"Because these kinds of ceremonies were not common. And the Mai involved in such connections were good at hiding it."

"But everybody out of the California Mai were there to see ours! Why did you invite them all to see ours if nobody was supposed to know about it?"

"I invited them because they deserve to meet Chloe and her official protector. They don't know what this kind of connection entails, and they don't know about the marks."

I was getting even more confused. My phone buzzed again and I opened it.

_We'll both be there in ten-Amy_

I sent her an agreement while still listening in on the conversation.

"So, what if they find me, say passed out or…worse. How would they know what the mark means, and how would they know I'm connected to Chloe?"

"She has a similar mark on the palm of her right hand. Well, not similar, identical."

My eyes widened and I looked at my palm. Sure enough, there was claw mark there, it looked like I had taken my claws and dragged them across my palm. But if that were the case, it would not be a scar already, which it was.

"So what are you doing out here alone? And why are you awake already?" Valentina asked.

Something strange happened then, though I knew it was going to happen. I felt what he was feeling.

He felt unsure, and I knew why. He was considering telling her about our dream. I thought about this. Keep it our secret and not be questioned every day when we wake up, or tell Valentina and have the news get around to every Mai out there. I sent my disapproval to Alek, letting him know to keep it a secret.

I wasn't sure he had got it until he answered. "I'm waiting for Chloe, she's dragging Jasmine and I along to breakfast with her friends." I could already tell by his voice that he was grimacing at the thought of eating with Paul and Amy.

"And why is she using Jasmine's bathroom?"

"Uh, she kinda played a trick on me and is hiding in there."

I smiled and quickly wrote a note for Jasmine telling her where I was just in case Alek didn't know where to find me. I then continued to quietly open Jasmine's window and sneak out without alerting anybody of my escape. Alek wasn't going to be getting his payback on me anytime soon if I had a say in it.

Amy would be so proud of me.

**And now: The long awaited ALEKPOV**

I really wished Valentina would stop talking. She was distracting me from focusing on what Chloe was planning. I was only getting little snippets of what she was feeling. Humor, guilt, curiosity.

"So you've felt her emotions already. What about anything else? Have you heard any of her thoughts? What about-"

"Mom, why's my window open?" Jamsine asked from behind me. Valentina and I both turned and saw that Jasmine was truly confused about what was going on. "And where's Chloe?"

Those are the words that no Alpha Warrior want to hear. "What do you mean? Isn't she in your bathroom?" I asked. Although I knew it wasn't true. I could no longer hear her heartbeat.

Jasmine and Valentina joined in on my worry as we all ran into Jasmine's room and saw that her window was open and her bathroom, empty.

I cursed and quickly jumped outside and looked around. She was nowhere to be seen.

When I went back inside, Jasmine had a relived look on her face and an exasperated one on my Aunt's.

Jasmine held up a piece of paper. "Chloe's gone to-."

Aunt Val cut her off. "Actually Jasmine, let Alek find out on his own."

"How am I supposed to do that? I didn't see any sign of her out there."

"Aren't you forgetting about a special connection you two have?"

I almost slapped myself. Of course; I always knew where she was. All I had to do was focus. I closed my eyes and focused on Chloe's face. Even though I did end up getting a little distracted by the thought of her, I managed to snap myself out of it by thinking of where she might be. A picture of Amy and Paul sitting at a table laughing told me she was at a restaurant and a tug told me which way to go. I didn't know how to describe it. Like she was pulling me to where she was at with a magnet or something.

"She's at Isabella's with Amy and Paul, waiting for us." Jasmine and Valentina smiled at each other before Jasmine showed me the note.

_Hey Jasmine, sorry if I scare you guys, but I just didn't want to face the wrath of Alek right now. I snuck out and I'll be at Isabella's with Paul and Amy waiting for you two to show up. I'll save you guys a seat.-Chloe_

"At least we know the connection is working properly." Valentina said.

"You make it sound as if it's like a telephone line of something." I joked. She just shrugged and headed back to her office.

Jasmine and I took a total of 10 minutes to get ready and run to Isabella's. Chloe was sitting across from Amy and Paul who were arguing about her car.

"I happen to like my car very much."

"Yeah, but it is kind of girlie. I mean, I'd like to get my own car I could drive you around in, a car where people won't make fun of me for."

Chloe interrupted them. "They're here." She said before even seeing us. I would have found it creepy if I hadn't known how she'd done it.

She turned around and I took the seat next to Chloe, while Jasmine took the one next to me.

"So now can you tell us what this big secret is?" Amy begged.

"Did you find out you have a new power?" Paul asked Chloe. She rolled her eyes.

"Sort of, but that's not what I wanted to tell you guys. This isn't just like some cool power that I get because I'm the Uniter."

"Definitely more important than that." I added.

There was a thick silence before Paul finally lost it. "Well? Are you going to tell us what it is?"

**Back to ChloePOV**

"Alek pledged himself to me as my Alpha Warrior and is now my eternal servant." I said. Alek knew I was joking, but he played along. Jasmine just leaned back and waited for the turmoil to ensue.

"Dude! You gave yourself up as her life servant!" Paul said to Alek loudly. Several people gave us strange looks but I ignored them.

Alek nodded and shrugged like it was nothing. I had to force myself not to laugh and Amy got that look in her eyes.

"Awww, you gave yourself up to keep Chloe safe and happy. That's so sweet." I looked over to Alek and he was blushing. A first for Alek Petrov.

"Yep, so now I can control his mind and make him do anything."

Paul looked over at me. "Can you make him get me a water?"

I looked over at Alek and asked him silently. He gave me a pleading look and surprisingly, I heard his thoughts.

'Please don't make me do it. Please don't make me do it.' This is so cool. I began to wonder if I could reply back. After thinking about how to do it for several seconds, I sent: 'Play along.'

His eyes bugged out and his mouth opened wide. We had the attention of the whole table. 'Stop looking at me like that. Both you and Valentina said this would happen. Just get him a water, I have a good idea.'

He rolled his eyes and stood to go get a water.

"Do you think you could get him to let me come to one of your training sessions?" Paul asked. I ignored the question.

"Chloe, do you know how rude it is to use mind control on somebody?" Amy said. Jasmine just chuckled.

Alek started coming back with the glass of water and when I thought he was going to set it down in front of him, he pretended to trip and poured the water all over Paul's head.

Alek set the glass down. "Oops, sorry." Then took his seat. Everybody but Paul burst up laughing.

'That was mean.' I told Alek.

'But worth it.'

**Hope you enjoyed, and please Review.**


	10. Transitioning

**Hey everybody! I'm so sorry about the long wait. Somebody had to use my computer, and I didn't get it back till yesterday, and then I had about half the chapter down when it suddenly shut off and when I turned it back on, everything was gone, so I had to rewrite it. I hated the ending of the last episode, and I hate it even more that they decided to not continue with the show. I mean, what was going through their heads? "Hey, let's kill off three of the main characters, lead everybody on about how the shows going to continue, and then cancel it at the last moment! It'll be hilarious!" Yeah, hilarious my $$. Let's see how funny it is when people start boycotting ABC Family. Anyways, back to the story. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review.**

Transitioning: 

After finishing our breakfast, we left to go walk to the nearest park.

Green grass was sprouting little yellow and purple flowers, a water fountain was offering water to several small birds, the paved cement path was freshly cleaned of all the trash and gum that had been here the previous times we have been there. Despite the beauty of the park, I still felt really tired. Last night had drained both mine and Alek's energy. He was dragging his feet and I was yawning every few minutes.

Luckily, we passed by a small little ice-cream stand on the side of the path. I went over to the stand where a heavy, red-headed man was standing while everybody else went to sit on a bench to joke around.

"How can I help you?" The man asked.

"Do you sell coffee?"

"Sure do! What kind?" He offered me a list of all the different coffees he made. All iced, and all packed with caffeine.

"Two caramel macchiatos please."

He prepared the drinks and I picked up that Alek was falling asleep sitting up. 'Alek.'

I looked over and saw him jump, nobody noticed. He looked over at me after a moment. I could tell he was embarrassed with being caught falling asleep by his "master". 'yes?'

'Try to stay awake, at least for another hour. Then we can both go to our respectable homes and take a cat-nap.'

He nodded as I watched his eyes slowly shut again. I shook my head in and turned to pay the man. He reached over to hand me the drinks when his eyes fell across the mark on my palm.

"Wow, that's quite a tattoo you have there." He said. "Very detailed."

I blushed lightly. "Thank you. I had an excellent artist." He nodded and I took the drinks and walked over to the group.

After shaking Alek's shoulder to gently wake him up, he took a few sips and he became more alert, but I could still feel how dead tired he was.

"-and I just took the comic and put it in my make-up bag. But he's so used to being around Chloe and I, he opened it and pulled it out." Amy was telling one of her favorite stories.

I raised a finger to get everybody's attention. "I think it's time I took a nap, and I think Alek already fell asleep, so I think I'm going to head home."

They all nodded except for Alek who was asleep next to me with his head hanging limply behind the back of the bench.

Jasmine was taking Alek home while Amy and Paul were going to walk with me to my house. They were going to stay and watch a movie while I slept.

As I was walking, I felt a sort of tug in my stomach, but it wasn't horrible, so I just ignored it. But as we got closer my home, it was getting stronger. It didn't hurt, but it felt like pressure, or as if something was pulling me someplace.

We reached my home and I let us all in before I marched up to my room and dropped on my bed. I would have thought that I would be asleep by the time my head hit the pillow, but it was just the opposite. Despite how tired I was, I could not drift into unconsciousness.

After tossing and turning for a few minute, my cell phone started to ring. Jasmine.

"Hello?" I groaned.

"Hey Chloe, Are you having issues getting to sleep too?"

How did she know? "…Yeah. You too?"

"I'm coming over. Set up another bed on your couch." I groaned and went to get blankets out of the cupboard. I was so confused.

**Sorry the chapter's so short, but I'll try to update tomorrow if I have the time. Please review!**


	11. Rubber Band

**I'm so happy to have gotten reviews last night! This chapter is going to be a bit more interesting. I know that other people have done this in their stories before, but I had planned writing this idea for 4 weeks now. I also know some of you have gotten ideas from my story. I say it's fine as long as you either give me credit for my ideas, or stray far enough from the actual idea that you can barely tell I came up with it. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!**

Rubber Band:

Within a few minutes, a white car pulled in front of the house, and a knock on the door came shortly after. Amy was about to answer it when I came downstairs.

Jasmine walked in followed by a half-sleeping Alek. "So what's the problem? Why can't I sleep?"

"Follow me upstairs, I don't want Paul and Amy asking questions." She whispered too quietly for them to hear. I nodded and I went upstairs. Both of us were helping Alek, who had finally fallen asleep completely. We got to my room where I had set up a sleeping bag on the floor.

"Alek's going to need more than that. What about the couch?" Jasmine asked.

"Taken by Paul and Amy. It's alright, he can have my bed. I'll take the sleeping bag." We set him on the bed and I sat on the edge of it while Jasmine took the computer desk chair.

"So care to explain?" I asked with a yawn.

"I forgot about the distance issue." I gave her a look so she would continue. "With you two connected to each other, you can't be separated by great distances, or for a long period of time. It's weak right now because the connection is fresh, you couldn't fall asleep because the connection was pulling the both of you to each other. But by tomorrow morning, you two will feel not only pressure, but pain the further or longer you stay away from each other."

"So Alek and I have to be together 24/7?"

"Not exactly. You can train the connection to stretch. But no matter how far you train it to go, you won't be able to stay apart for long. You'll get weak, and you won't be able to sleep."

I thought about this for a second and came up with an easier explanation. "So we're connection by an invisible rubber band?"

She got a look on her face that clearly stated that she thought I had finally lost my mind. "Um, what?"

"I mean, it's like we're connected by a rubber band. The further apart we get, the more the rubber band stretches and pulls us back. The longer we stay apart, the weaker we get and we have to focus on holding us in place, so we can't let out mind shut down?"

She nodded. "That's actually a really good description. I'm going to have to use that."

"So what am I going to do at night? And at school? And when he has away basketball games?"

"You're going to go with him to all of them. That or you're going to have to train the connection."

I couldn't imagine how strong the connection would get. This was the weak part of the connection?

I sighed and lay down on the sleeping bag. "If you want, you can go hang out with Amy and Paul." She nodded, and I finally fell in dreamless sleep.

I woke up the next morning in my own bed with Alek right next to me. I wasn't sure how I had gotten into the bed, but I was there. I got off the bed as quickly and quietly as I could so I wouldn't wake Alek, then I went down stairs where Jasmine was asleep on the couch. She woke up when I hit the wood floor of the kitchen.

"Hey." I said, filling up a glass with water and sipping it.

"Hey, Amy and Paul went home last night. I decided to just stay here."

I should probably get used to them being over here. Now, it just seemed weird to think about being separated from Alek so I assumed that they were soon going to be calling my mom by her first name.

"Well, since you're here, you can help me make breakfast. My mom's getting back Sunday, so that leaves us two days to eat as much food as we can and clean everything up."

"Don't forget, we still have training tonight."

"Training, man I forgot about that. Must have slipped my mind." I feigned innocence.

"Same time, same place." She started pulling out eggs and bacon while I went to go find some pans.

**Another short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. I was busy today, and I will be tomorrow as well, but I might be able to type a few paragraphs. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	12. Sweet Actions

**Hello again. I'm glad so many of you liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one as well. Some of you have been guessing what was going to happen next in the story. Technically, when somebody does that and gets it right, I like to change it up and surprise them with something else, or I'll just leave it. But either way, guessing is fun to read in my reviews. I hope you like this chapter. **

Sweet Actions:

As we cooked, a million questions were running through my head, not to mention the idea of how I had slept for so long. But only one question really brought itself to the front of my mind.

"Hey Jasmine, do you know how I got into the bed last night?"

She smiled knowingly. "I heard whispers from your room so I went up there. Alek was throwing a fit in his sleep, but I got a few words out." She cracked an egg into a bowl. "He wanted you closer to him to make sure you were safe. So I moved you onto the bed and he immediately shut up."

She was silent for another minute. "If you ask me, I think he really cares about you."

"Well, I know that. He did pledge himself to me." I joked and rolled my eyes.

"I mean more then what he's already shown you."

That's all it took for my mind to start working. Was she telling me that Alek might have feelings for me? Just the thought made my heart jump and my stomach fill with butterflies. With the feeling came a thud from what sounded like from my room. I could feel Alek's panic. "CHLOE?"

"Down here." I said, trying to keep him from freaking out. I think he had just fallen out of the bed. Again.

He ran down the stairs and immediately hugged me tightly. Jasmine threw me an "I-told-you-so" smile and continued with her cooking. "I thought you were in trouble. Why did you become so nervous? And…excited?" He asked, with a truly worried and curious look on his face. For a moment, I got distracted and wondered if cocky-Alek was gone for good, but then snapped out of it and smoothly told him a semi-truth.

"I found out we have training tonight."

He nodded and released me from his tight grip. Rolling his eyes, I hear his mental comment. 'Training? Only Chloe.' "Do ladies need any help, or would you rather me just stand here and look pretty?" And there was the cocky British boy I knew and loved. I just laughed and handed him a whisk and some pancake mix before pointing to a bowl and turning back to the bacon and sausage. Then my mind registered what I had thought only moments before.

Know and love? Where did that come from? I was glad that I had blocked my mind from Alek, or he would have heard everything I was thinking. Shaking it off, I continued with the breakfast. He was my Alpha warrior. I was supposed to care for him, as he did for me. It was probably nothing but part of the connection.

After breakfast, we all sat in my bedroom and talked. Specifically about one topic. What was going to happen at night? Or at school, when we were forced to be separated?

"School shouldn't be as hard as you think. You guys will only be a few classrooms away from each other. The basketball games, you and I can go watch them, Alek can even see if the coach will let you become a water girl or something. At night, that's a different story." Jasmine said.

"I could always sit on the roof at night?" Alek suggested.

"No, you need as much safety as Chloe now. You two should be protected at all costs, only when it gets to the last resort should you have to sacrifice yourself Alek. Chloe's going to count on you more than anyone else."

Although I hadn't really thought about any of this before; I knew all that she was saying was true. I counted on Alek. He was my rock.

"So, what's going to happen then?" Alek asked.

I cut in. "I have an idea."

By nine p.m. we had piled all the junk in the attic to one side, leaving a large living space. There was now a cot with several thick comfy blankets, a folding table and chair, and a lamp. This was to be Alek's new room.

"Are you sure your fine with staying up in this stuffy attic every night Alek?" I asked, worried about his comfort.

"As long as I'll actually be able to get to sleep tonight, I should be fine. Although I'm going to need to bring several things of mine before I can actually call this home."

"Of course."

Jasmine had left only twenty minutes ago to get Alek a few outfits, and I could already hear her driving up the path again. Alek and I were watching movies on my laptop from my bed. Of course, he had to comment on almost everything that happened in every scene. I found it annoyingly adorable.

"Hey, I'm back." She said throwing the duffle bag at Alek who caught it and crossing her arms. "Let's head out to training."

"Let me change first." Alek said before taking the duffle bag up to his "room".

Jasmine was about to tell me something when my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Chloe, it's Brian. What happened to hanging out today?" I groaned internally, upset that I had forgotten about Brian.

"Hey, sorry I didn't call you. But I did tell you that I would let you know when I was free. I didn't necessarily tell you that we could hang out today."

"Yeah, sorry… well, what about tomorrow?"

"Maybe. What did you have in mind?"

"A picnic, and maybe a movie." I liked the sound of it, but it just screamed "DATE" so I had to decline.

"Sorry, but you know that we can only be friends. That just sounds too date-like."

There was nothing but the sound of breathing for a few seconds then the line went dead.


End file.
